274 MOTIONS OF INSECTS. 
supports each segment of the body upon the plane of 
position, which it is enabled to do by the little bundles 
of muscles attached to the skin, that take their origin 
within the body?. 
I shall begin the list of walkers, the movements of 
which are aided by various instruments, with one which 
is well known to most people,—-the grub of the nut- 
weevil (Curculio Nucum, L.). When placed upon a 
table, after lying some time, perhaps, bent in a bow, - 
with its head touching its tail, at last it begins to move, 
which, though in no certain direction, it does with more 
speed than might be expected. Résel fancied that this 
animal had feet furnished with claws; but in this, as 
De Geer justly observes, he was altogether mistaken, 
since it has not the least rudiment of them, its motion 
being produced solely by the alternate contraction and 
extension of the segments of the body, assisted, perhaps, 
by the fleshy prominences of its sides—Other larvee 
have this annular motion aided by a slimy secretion, 
which gives them further hold upon the plane on which 
they are moving, and supplies in some degree the place 
of legs or claws. ‘That of the weevil of the common fig- 
wort (Cionus Scrophularia, Latr.) is always covered with 
slime, which enables it,—though it renders its appear- 
ance disgusting,—to walk with steadiness, by the mere 
lengthening and shortening of its’ segments, upon the 
leaves of that plant>,—Of this kind also are those larvee, 
mentioned above*, received by De Geer from M. Zier- 
vogel, which, adhering to each other by a slimy secre- 
@ Cuvier, Anat. Comp. 1. 430. > De Geer, v. 210. 
© See above, p. 7. 
